Sat.Feb 01, 2020 - Fri.Feb 07, 2020

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How Decisions Are Made After The Partner Meeting

View from Seed

In general, VC decision-making can feel like a black box, which can be frustrating for founders who are trying to manage their fundraising process and timeline. It usually involves many meetings over the course of weeks (if not months) with various members of the firm, and the process can look quite different from one firm to another. Regardless, your singular goal is typically to drive towards a “Partner Meeting” where you can pitch the story and vision to the entire investment team.

Partner 196
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Why Isn’t Your Publicity Working?

Rembrandt Communications

Do you get results from your publicity efforts? Last week, I received a call from a small business owner who hired a firm for their publicity activities and received little to no results. And another entrepreneur e-mailed me to tell me that his press release didn’t capture any media attention… so with this in mind, what happened? How Do You Get Good Publicity?

PR 130
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ZohoDay: Productivity and Purpose

deal architect

I have had a few days to reflect on the Zoho Analyst Summit. There were so many varied perspectives but a few things really jumped out as I looked at my notes Productivity From last year's analyst day, I had.

Product 320
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7 Tips To Keep Your Team Ahead Of “Business As Usual”

Startup Professionals Musings

Most small businesses have now forgotten the last recession, and are back to “business as usual.” They don’t realize that business as usual is gone forever. With social media and smart phone apps, real product information spreads at astounding speeds. Entrepreneurs that are not listening, not engaging, and not changing are destined to be left behind even in the best of times.

Agile 315
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Building Healthy Innovation Ecosystems for Your Projects

Speaker: Nick Noreña, Innovation Coach and Advisor, Kromatic

Every startup and innovation project exists within an ecosystem that either helps or hurts that project. As innovation managers, we need to keep a pulse of that ecosystem and make sure we're helping those innovation projects we're managing every step of the way. In this webinar, Nick Noreña will walk through an Innovation Ecosystem Model that he and his team at Kromatic have developed to help investors, heads of product, teachers, and executives understand how they can best support innovation in

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Remote First: Why Isn’t Every Company Boundaryless

ReadWriteStart

This article is the third part of my extended series on boundaryless teams, remote -first companies, and the future of work. In my two previous installments, I talked about the changing dynamics in many tech-centric cities. I explained why authorities like Sam Altman of Y-Combinator , Angel List’s Naval Ravikant, Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey, and Bill Gurley, GP at Benchmark Capital , believe boundaryless companies built by remote-distributed teams are the future of work.

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5 Ways Keeping A Journal Has Made Me A Better Entrepreneur

YoungUpstarts

by Paul Mayne, founder and CEO of Day One Journal. It’s been nearly 10 years since I started my company. Like every entrepreneur, growing a company was no small feat, with sleepless nights, unexpected challenges and looming deadlines. It’s also been 10 years since I committed to keeping a daily journal. While the stress that comes with owning and running my own company will never go away, I’ve found the simple act of journaling has made me a better entrepreneur.

More Trending

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28 Entrepreneurs Explain What They Love About Being An Entrepreneur

Hearpreneur

Being in love is great. Being in love with your business, when you’re an entrepreneur, is even better. Waking up each morning knowing you are getting to do exactly what you love is more than most people could ever say about any “job” they have had. Although there are days when tossing in your hat seems like a viable option, remembering how much you love your “job” can quickly snap an entrepreneur out of that mentality.

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Stock Photos vs. Real Photos: Does It Matter?

ConversionXL

When it comes to online imagery, it’s not so much about having images as making sure those images give the visitor a sense of texture, size, scale, detail, context, brand. According to MDG Advertising , 67% of online shoppers rated high-quality images as being “very important” to their purchase decision, which was slightly more than “product specific information,” “long descriptions,” and “reviews and ratings”: ( Image source ).

Stock 71
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Davos report - a conversation with Alan Alper of Cognizant

deal architect

Cognizant is a regular at the annual WEF event in Davos, Switzerland. I requested Alan Alper, VP Corporate Marketing, keep good notes on everything he observed during this year's event. Here's an excellent ground level report - you can feel.

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Seven Important Product Packaging Tips to Consider

The Startup Magazine

Some companies don’t put enough thought into how they are packaging their products. If you want to help to sell your products to consumers, then thinking about the packaging is imperative. Having eye-catching custom packaging will help certain products to stand out from the competition. Take a look at the following seven important product packaging tips that you should be considering.

Product 113
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SXSW Pitch Finalist: Sapient

Austin Startup

Sapient’s Sam Parks and Martin Koch have developed a smart outlet system for commercial deployment The Forrest Four-Cast: January 28, 2020 If Sam Parks , CEO and co-founder of Sapient Industries , weren’t working for his startup, he’d be working as a scientist, using his background in nanotechnology as an applied physicist. Instead, an idea for smart outlets, conceived while he was still a student at University of Pennsylvania, evolved into Sapient Industries, based in Philadelphia, Penn., and l

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SaaS Acquisition: The Hidden Risks of a “Frictionless” Sign-Up Flow

ConversionXL

Optimizing the sign-up flow is a never-ending saga for SaaS companies, for whom it’s mission-critical to acquire and activate users as quickly as possible. Within the sign-up flow, the dreaded word is “friction.” Sadhana Balaji sums it up : You can optimize your value proposition or call to action buttons all you want, but if your sign-up flow contains too much friction, you’re leaving money on the table.

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Why a Tech Startup is Like a Nuclear Power Plant

ReadWriteStart

My first job out of college was preventing a nuclear power station from melting down. It was summer 1986, the fall-out from Chernobyl was blowing over Europe and, after graduating in engineering science, I undertook a software development project for the UK Atomic Energy Authority. Here is why a tech startup is like a nuclear power plant. My first job was writing software systems to monitor the nuclear reactor core and to predict the future failure of cooling components.

Startup 78
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The Entrepreneur: All You Need to Know About Filing a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

The Startup Magazine

Are you the owner of a new start-up? And, have you recently fallen ill and been unsuccessfully treated by a medical specialist? Consequently, do you suspect that you are a victim of medical malpractice? And, if so, what steps do you follow to file a medical malpractice suit? How do you protect your business’s viability if you are not able to work?

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Board Software for Nonprofits: Pros and Cons

Board Effect

In many ways, nonprofits operate much like corporate boards, but there are some important differences. Nonprofits have unique compliance rules and other operating rules. One of the ways that they’re similar is that nonprofit board directors are under just as much scrutiny as other board directors. In addition, nonprofit board directors have important fundraising duties.

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How to Overcome the Obstacles of Using Modern Tech in Business

Women Entrepreneurs Can

The benefits of using modern tech in business are well documented. In fact, it’s fair to assume that 99.9% of businesses can be improved by implementing new technologies. Despite all of the positive elements, though, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the potential obstacles. After all, the potential dangers are greater than ever. When using cloud computing, IoT technologies, and automated machinery, it’s vital to keep safety and practicality at the top of your agenda.

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Workflow optimization tips for Product Marketers

Austin Startup

Few things make me happier than being able to be productive and efficient in my role, and ensuring my team feels confident in knowing what they are accountable for. As I transitioned from general marketing into product marketing last year, one of my core challenges at Kahoot! was maintaining communications across team lines, ensuring responsibilities were clear to all, especially as many staff were transitioning into changing roles.

Product 62
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How to bounce back after a startup failure

NZ Entrepreneur

Failure is a part of business, but when your own startup stalls, it’s hard not to take it personally. In this article, Alan Manly talks to Mark Phillips about how entrepreneurs cope with the taste of defeat without it slowing them down. There are plenty of sobering statistics available to budding entrepreneurs that show the likelihood of a startup failing, but they are not much use to a new business owner once the probability of failure becomes reality.

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Changing the Game as an Entrepreneur

Duct Tape Marketing

Changing the Game as an Entrepreneur written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. Marketing Podcast with Greg Meade. Podcast Transcript. Today’s guest on the podcast is Greg Meade, one of the founders of Crossnet. Greg, his brother Chris, and childhood friend Mike graduated from college and decided that a traditional career path wasn’t for them.

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Disaster Recovery: What Options Do You Have When Something Bad Happens?

Women Entrepreneurs Can

Data is becoming a bigger part of our everyday lives, especially if you’re a business owner. The more we connect ourselves to the digital world, the more we rely on the data feed of the internet. Our phones, tablets, and computers work as they should most of the time. But no one is ever completely safe, and your data could be in jeopardy if you do not prepare in advance for these possibilities.

Cloud 52
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5 Startup Challenges That Derail Many Entrepreneurs

Startup Professionals Musings

As a mentor to entrepreneurs, I tend to see many of the same obstacles appearing in every new startup, and since I don’t want to appear to be a downer , I’m not sure how to properly warn people ahead of time to be on the alert for these challenges. In fact, since most entrepreneurs are eternal optimists anyway, they would never believe any negative scenarios could happen to them.

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The SAP 2025 Wall moves

deal architect

Unlike the hard Y2K wall, we knew SAP's 2025 Business Suite 7 wall was a soft one. They have just pushed it back till the end of 2027 followed by optional (and more expensive) extended maintenance until the end of.

Software 262
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How To Grow And Expand Your Brand Into One That Customers Can Trust

YoungUpstarts

Branding is one of the most important attributes of a business. After all, consumers place plenty of emphasis on brand ethics and what the company stands for. But, it’s not as simple as many people believe to establish your brand as one your audience can trust, and many entrepreneurs don’t know how to go about it. Not sure where to start?

Customer 228
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How Your Business Can Stand Apart from the Competition

Women Entrepreneurs Can

These days the business landscape is competitive, and new companies are popping up all the time in a variety of industries. You must find ways to stand apart from the competition and grab the attention of your target audience if you want to be successful. You can’t launch a business and expect that customers will come flocking to you and will understand why you’re unique.

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5 Ways To Sample The Joy Of An Entrepreneur Lifestyle

Startup Professionals Musings

Even though I’m a big proponent of becoming an entrepreneur, it is definitely not for everyone. Unfortunately the success and lavish lifestyle of some current well-known entrepreneurs, including Richard Branson and Elon Musk , lead many who are not so well prepared to jump in with both feet, only to be shocked and severely tested by the unexpected rigors and high risk.

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Transcript of Learning to Become a Leader

Duct Tape Marketing

Transcript of Learning to Become a Leader written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. Back to Podcast. Transcript. John Jantsch: This episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast is brought to you by Zephyr CMS. It’s a modern cloud based CMS system that’s licensed only to agencies. You can find them at zephyrcms.com, more about this later in the show.

Ohio 43
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The 5 Components Of Resting Hard

YoungUpstarts

by Katy Kvalvik , founder of Southwestern Empowerment. Small business owners and entrepreneurs are familiar with the saying, “Work hard, play hard.” I believe there’s something missing from that well-known adage. I encourage you to make your 2020 mantra, “Work hard, play hard — REST hard.”. People often think taking time to rest and relax equals unproductivity, when in fact the opposite is true.

Restful 221
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The Best Small Business Accounting Advice in 2020

Women Entrepreneurs Can

Rocking the role of a woman leader means wearing a multitude of different hats to keep your business afloat, let alone empower it to thrive and flourish. What that means is that juggling several roles for small business owners can be tricky simply because you might not have the experience, qualifications, or the knowledge to run each and every vital segment of your company independently – just yet.

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6 Ways A Prototype Will Add Value To Your New Venture

Startup Professionals Musings

These days, everyone wants to be an entrepreneur, pitching their latest and greatest new idea, and looking for someone to give them money. Angel investors, like me, have long figured out that asking to see the prototype is a quick way to separate the ‘wannabes’ from serious players. Talk is cheap, but entrepreneurs who show you a working model of their idea know how to execute.

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A conversation with Karl-Heinz Streibich - President of National Academy of Science and Engineering in Germany, acatech.

deal architect

Karl-Heinz Streibich is President of acatech, the National Academy of Science and Engineering in Germany. In that role, he is constantly interacting with business and academic leaders, and has a unique perspective on STEM trends in Germany and broadly across.

Germany 150
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Tips On How To Grow Your Small Business

YoungUpstarts

Anyone who has started a business will tell you that it’s no walk in the park. Running a business often comes with many long days and even longer nights, often at the expense of other facets of your life. This can become even more frustrating if the business is not growing as fast as you think it should, regardless of the work you are putting in. Below are some tips to help you scale your small business and start getting significant returns.

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Staff Motivation: What Really Works

Women Entrepreneurs Can

We all know that if you want to get the most out of your employees, you need to make sure that you are properly motivating them. That is not necessarily something that always comes easily, but it is the kind of thing you can improve upon over time. Doing so is certainly going to mean that your business is in a better state, that you are getting more out of your employees, and that things are moving towards your business goals generally.

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4 Customer Decisive Moments That Your Startup Can Win

Startup Professionals Musings

Today’s customers are much more in control of their buying decision, as they have more choices and more information than ever before. Almost instantly, via the Internet or on their smartphone in the store, they can find the lowest price alternative or their favorite features, without waiting for push marketing or listening to your best sales person.

Customer 310
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A conversation with Karl-Heinz Streibich - President of National Academy of Science and Engineering in Germany, acatech. 

deal architect

Karl-Heinz Streibich is President of acatech, the National Academy of Science and Engineering in Germany. In that role, he is constantly interacting with business and academic leaders, and has a unique perspective on STEM trends in Germany and broadly across.

Germany 150
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The Ultimate Guide To Starting Your Own Business With No Money

YoungUpstarts

Small businesses are the cornerstone of the American economy, creating over 1.5 million jobs every year. It’s no wonder many young adults in the country want to start their own businesses. Are you one of these people? Starting your own business will enable you to become your own boss. And if the business is successful, you’ll well be on your way to great riches.

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How to Hire the Right Employee for Your Business

Women Entrepreneurs Can

If you are a manager, you are already aware of just how integral it is to hire the right person for your team. It’s not even that other employees would be bad at the job, it’s about finding someone who will be a real asset to your team and therefore the company as a whole. Although training is an integral part of any employee’s journey with you, it all begins with employment.

Hiring 52